The Inevitability Of Us
by JCole8
Summary: Alex wants nothing to do with Piper after she chose Larry. On her last day in prison, Piper confesses her love for Alex and gives Alex her address and begs her to write. Will she? Will these two women make their way back to each other and find love again?
1. Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER:  
  
Orange Is The New Black and all its characters are property of author implies no ownership of these characters, and they are used in the story without permission solely for entertainment and not for profit.

**The Inevitability Of Us**

**Chapter 1**

"Why do you always feel so inevitable to me?"

Not a day goes by that Piper does not repeat that question to herself or think about Alex. Sitting at her desk in her office in her and Polly's flagship store in New York City she could not focus on the contract she was reviewing. As it happened too often, she was tired from putting long hours with her company Bars and Bubbles, conference calls, and traveling to new cities where Bars and Bubbles products would be sold. It was the tiredness and time by herself that always seemed to lead of thoughts of Alex, their past together, and in the quiet moments while lying in bed at night or while sitting in an airport or on a plane that she allowed herself to think about what the future might look like if she and Alex were together.

If she could go back to the day in the library in Litchfield where she told Alex she picked Larry over her, Piper would-in a heartbeat. Knowing what she did now, and how her life was forever changed that day, she knew without hesitation she would take all those words back. She would have, and should have chose Alex. Alex knew the real her, the real her inside and outside of prison. Alex had seen her at her best and worst and still wanted to be with her. No one, not Larry, her family, or the women in Litchfield knew the depth of her and Alex's relationship. It wasn't until she lost Alex for good on that fateful day in the library, that she understood just how much Alex really meant to her.

After the confrontation with Pennsatucky, Piper found herself stuck in SHU for a month. While she sat in that hell hole, as her injuries healed, she did a lot of thinking and reflecting. While she couldn't believe the amount of rage that was pent up inside her that she had loosed on Tiffany and had caused her serious physical injury, she could now believe that women do what they have to do to survive prison. She felt she had no choice to defend herself, especially after Healy turned his back on her and allowed the confrontation with Dogget to happen.

When the proverbial dust settled, all the reports were written up, video surveillance of the incident were reviewed it was determined that Piper was indeed acting in self-defense. No time was added to her sentence but she would do a month in the hole for breaking prison rules. Pennsatucky was charged and found guilty of assault with a deadly weapon. Healy was fired for turning his back on the situation that almost cost Piper her life.

After she was back in camp, she tried to talk to Alex but her ex-girlfriend wanted nothing to do with her. Nicky and Morello were shielding her. Piper knew she had broken Alex's heart again and the girls were doing what any good friends would do, protecting their friend. She tried to talk to Alex any way she could, she even tried cornering Alex in the shower block. Alex just shook her head no and pushed past her. Piper was pretty sure that she saw tears in Alex's eyes, but she knew Alex, once she decided on something, she stuck to it.

Piper did the rest of her time with her head down. She stuck to running, yoga, and reading. She had corresponded with Larry by letter and had the occasional phone call with him. She had told him she was no longer on speaking terms with Alex, which seemed to appease Larry.

The day before she was leaving the girls threw her a goodbye party. The signs and streamers made her cry. These women had become her 'family' and she was going to miss some of them. Throughout the whole party she kept an eye out for Alex to stop by. She saw Alex stop briefly in the doorway of the TV room on her way back from the bathroom. As soon as she caught Alex's eye, the taller woman hurried past.

That night lying in her bunk, Piper thought about the past 15 months. She thought she knew what prison was going to be like by reading all the books before surrendering. Sure, prison was not where she wanted to be, was not an easy place to navigate, and you were constantly on high alert, but she had met women here that she never would have encountered on the outs. Women from all walks of life, every woman's situation was different despite all the stereotypes she had heard.

She had committed a crime and she was there to pay her penance, she understood that now. Prison had changed her. As she lay there she knew she was a better person after her time in Litchfield. Her eyes were wide open, not only to the social problems that faced women before, during, and after prison, but she was now conscious of whom she was as a person, all of herself, the good, the bad and the ugly.

Prison had also brought Alex back into her life. As angry as she was about being there, and finding out that Alex was the one that turned her into the feds, she realized that what she and Alex had was a real connection. Seeing Alex again brought all those feelings back. When she and her ex-lover were together in the middle of that god forsaken prison, the world fell away, and all that mattered was them. But there she was, lying on her cold bunk alone.

She had successfully pushed away the one person that truly understood her and loved her in spite of all her flaws. She decided that she would attempt to get through to Alex one more time before she left. She knew that her life wouldn't be the same without Alex Vause.

The next morning she wrote down her address on a piece of paper and stuck it in her pocket. She bid her time as the women ate breakfast. She watched the women leave the cafeteria and knew that her only opportunity to try and talk to Alex would be when she was leaving breakfast. The taller woman was talking with Nicky as she walked out of the cafeteria. As soon as Alex saw her she tried to go another way. Piper ran up to her and stopped her from going.

"Alex, I'm truly for sorry for everything I put you through. I know I hurt you, again. You're the only person that knows the real me. I love you Alex. Please, you have to believe me."

Alex pushed past her but she grabbed the taller woman's hand and forced the piece of paper with her address on it into her hand.

"Write me, I promise to write you back. I love you Alex Vause." She said with desperation in her voice.

Alex walked around the corner and out of her life.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

_"Write me, I promise to write you back. I love you Alex Vause." _

She grabbed my hand and shoved a piece of paper in it. I didn't want to let go of her hand, it was so warm. However, at the same time, we were being watched. News travels fast in a women's prison and everyone knew that Piper and I were not talking anymore. The women knew something had happened between us and that I had pushed her away. I couldn't back down or go back on my word. I had a reputation to keep up.

The bigger issue was that about a year ago she had broke my heart, again. She chose that douchebag over me. I was not going to let her back in to trample on my heart, again. The day in the laundry room when she told me that she loved me—and hated me, I truly believed her. I thought that was the beginning of something between us again. I did get my hopes up when she came to me talking of the future. She was thinking of a life together. She saw herself with me. I don't know what that asshole said or did to her to make her change her mind, but that day in the library my world was shattered into a million pieces for the second time in my life.

In that moment, I was so angry. I never wanted to see her again. That's what I truly wanted at that point in time. But it wasn't until that night that I knew that wasn't true. I did want Piper in my life. I finally allowed myself to grieve the loss of our relationship. Tears wet my pillow, I held back sobs, I cried for a future that I would never have. I spent most of the night thinking about all the good times Piper and I had before prison, and since we were thrown back together in Litchfield.

The night when Piper was attacked by Pennsatucy and ended up in the hospital then SHU I was so scared for her. No one knew what happened that night. Both women were covered in blood and being carted away on a stretcher. I berated myself for what happened. Had I inadvertently allowed this to happen? Piper came to me and turned her away. Was she trying to tell me she was in danger? Could I have protected her?

Through pieces and parts of conversations inmates had with officers and what I heard from officers' conversations was that Tiffany was in a coma and Piper had been stabbed and broke her hand. Apparently she inflicted a good amount of damage to Doggett. Over the next couple of days we learned that Healy was fired and it had something to do with Piper and Pennsatucy.

Piper was gone for a month. No one knew exactly where she was either. Was she in SHU? Was she still in the hospital? Did she get sent down? It wasn't until I asked Officer Fischer that I found out that Piper was still in Litchfield, just down in SHU. I asked her if Piper was ok and she said yes. I also asked how long she would be there and Fischer said she didn't know.

When she came back to camp, Piper looked sickly. She was way too skinny, and her eyes looked sunken in. Everyone knows they feed you shit food in the hole, so weight loss isn't unheard of—but she looked pretty bad. She was quiet, kept to herself and seemed very sad. She was a shell of a human being, a shell of the Piper I had known for the past 10 years. I kept an eye on her. I kept my distance, but if she had gotten much worse I would have stepped in.

She tried to talk to me on a few occasions. She said she needed to explain things. I just couldn't let myself go there. I was grateful that Nicky acted as a buffer for me. I wouldn't have had the strength to stay away on my own.

I almost gave in once. Piper cornered me in the showers and was begging to talk. I desperately wanted to take her in my arms and tell her that it would be ok, that we'd be ok. But, I didn't know that for sure. I needed to be sure. My heart couldn't take less than sure.

I struggled to keep my front up, keep my rep as a rebel going. I didn't want Nicky and the other women to know that I was struggling to stay positive, to keep my wall up and stay away from Piper. My head was telling me to stay far away. My heart was pleading with me to beg her to come back to me and forget Larry. I knew if I pulled out all the stops I could win Piper back—I knew I could get her to choose me over him. However, what would that accomplish? It was still me pushing or persuading her into something she might not truly want and she would hate me for it later. No, it had to be her choice.

I didn't go to Piper's goodbye party. I wanted to, but I couldn't bring myself to see her happy about leaving. I just knew she would go back to him, and that thought broke my heart. I learned through other inmates that Larry never came to visit again but that she was still talking to him. I paused in front of the TV room on my way back from the bathroom. She saw me; she looked right into my eyes. They were silently begging me to talk to her. I quickly moved on and hoped that she wouldn't follow me.

I pulled my hand away and walked away without looking back. I crumpled up the piece of paper she had given me, but I didn't throw it out. When I got back to my bunk and opened it up. Piper and given me her address. I quickly hid it one of my books. I figured I'd decide later what to do with it.


End file.
